Mikel Arteta makes major Arsenal change vs Tottenham after Martin Odegaard decision
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is NOT in the team for the North London derby against Tottenham.
The Norway midfielder, 25, hurt his ankle on international duty during the recent domestic break and was a major doubt ahead of Sunday’s match, though Mikel Arteta stopped short of ruling him out completely on Friday.
But the Gunners talisman has failed to make the cut and is not in the squad for the trip to The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
While it remains to be seen how Arsenal will line up when the action starts, it appears Arteta has opted for a slight change in shape in Odegaard’s absence, lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Jorginho and Thomas Partey partner up in midfield with Declan Rice suspended. Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli will line up ahead of them and it’s thought that Trossard will start the match playing behind Havertz, who finished last season strongly in the No.9 position.
It’s better news on the injury front for Tottenham, who welcome Micky van de Ven and summer signing Dominic Solanke back into the starting XI.
Ange Postecoglou had hinted earlier in the week that both were in contention to play following recent issues, with Solanke returning to bolster Spurs’ forward line alongside Son Heung-min.
While Odegaard was expected to miss out on Sunday’s match, Arteta stopped short of officially ruling him out in his press conference.
He said of his captain: “We need some more tests. Let’s see what happens in the next day or so. He’s super positive about everything. Martin wants to be here every day, but we have to wait and see. Players with 48 hours are always available. Let’s see what happens.”
Spurs XI: Vicario, Pedro Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Kulusevski, Bentancur, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke, Son
Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Jorginho, Partey; Saka, Havertz, Trossard, Martinelli
